1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a unit for melting and discharging solid or highly viscous products out of barrels.
2. Background of the Related Art
Emptying products that at normal temperatures are solids or highly viscous out of barrels, or re-melting products that have been shipped in barrels, are intended for further processing and have solidified at outside temperatures, is a common industrial task. Products collected in barrels are to be found in the most varied branches of industry, particularly in the chemical and the petroleum industries or in the refinery sector, for example where heavy oil must be cleaned out of tanks or during work or repairs on units such as visbreakers, hydrocrackers and the like. In some cases, such residues, for example the residues in units for the conversion of hydration of heavy oils or heavy oil residues, may become brittle at ambient temperatures.
In DE 37 06 927 A1 there is described a barrel melting device that can be installed on the spot and liquefies only the desired quantity of meltable product. This melting device works by inserting a heatable hosepipe, adjustably heated in accordance with the desired degree of liquefaction of the material to be melted, into the contents of the barrel.
This patent also teaches that the meltable product can be heated in its entirety in the barrel at a separate station, and so brought to the liquid state, so that the liquid mass can then be conveyed for further processing. Such devices are usually designed as electric heating chambers or steam heating chambers, optionally with air circulation. The barrels and their contents, after heating, must be handled and emptied in separate operating steps. It should also be borne in mind that such a procedure is not recommended for melted products by use of steam chambers using steam pressure values in the higher ranges.